Community weighs in on Burbank police performance, quality of life in city
Speeding and reckless driving are major problems for many Burbank residents, according to the results of an online survey commissioned in April by the Burbank Police Department.
The survey results were released Thursday, with 1,011 people across the city responding. The survey, which was online for several weeks, asked residents several questions including how safe they feel in the city, what major issues they thought affected their quality of life and how the Burbank Police Department is performing.
Of the five ZIP Codes that make up Burbank, a majority of respondents came from the 91505 part of the city, with 297 people participating, followed by 91504 with 265 people, 91506 with 199 people, 91501 with 137 people and 91502 with 54 people.
Not all of the questions were answered by the respondents. Of the 858 residents who responded to questions concerning their quality of life, 63% thought speeding and reckless driving are major problems in the city. Meanwhile, 22% considered them a minor problem, 12% were neutral and 3% thought they aren’t issues at all.
“That’s good information for us to have. Not all areas of the city are treated equally,” Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse said. “Most of our complaints seem to come from the hillside.”
LaChasse said the department has been increasing its presence in the hillside area to help deter speeding. He also said it’s up to residents to be vigilant and report speeders in their neighborhood.
Property crimes, such as break-ins, burglaries and thefts, also ranked highly among residents but not to the same level as speeding and reckless driving. Only 31% considered residential burglaries a major problem in the city, and 32% thought the same for general theft.
For quality-of-life issues, the main concerns were homelessness and traffic congestion, with 855 people responding to those questions.
Roughly 36% of respondents considered homelessness a major problem in Burbank, while 34% thought it was a minor problem, 24% were neutral and 6% didn’t think it was a problem.
Traffic congestion was considered a major problem for 47% of respondents, 31% thought it was a minor problem, while 18% were neutral and 4% didn’t see it as a problem at all.
Police performance was rated fairly positively among the 522 people who answered questions concerning the department. Over 90% of residents thought the department was professional, helpful and responded to calls for service in a timely manner.
LaChasse said he was not surprised by the survey results.
“We have a lot of support in the community, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said.
LaChasse said the results give department officials a better idea of where they need to focus, such as on traffic.
However, for homelessness, there’s not much the department can do because it’s not a law-enforcement issue, LaChasse said. The department does work with the city on education initiatives to inform people about what causes homelessness and what can and can’t be done by the police.
“We do what we can do, but what everybody has to understand is that the city needs to have alternatives to incarceration,” he said. “You need to have homeless shelters, and we don’t have enough beds in any facility in the city.”
To view the full results of the survey, visit burbankpd.org.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
